Importance of Driving

Safe driving is a goal to be strived for for all generations – specifically younger generations. According to NIH (NIH, 2020), “More than 36,000 people died in car accidents in the U.S. in 2018. Millions more are injured each year.”. Most concerning is how the same study showed how teen drivers are ‘at the greatest risk for crashes.’ The same can be said for older drivers, with cognitive and visual issues harming them most on the road. (NIH, 2020). While many drivers get better at their driving skills over time, I believe this statistic highlights why safe driving and driving education is important. The danger of distracted driving is at an all-time high – NIH writes how “Many adults admit to texting, answering calls, and other dangerous behaviors. That’s a problem because teens are modeling their parents’ actions as they learn to drive.” With more understanding drivers have on the road, how to approach situations, avoid distracted driving, can go a long way with understanding how to prevent tragedies like this.

However, simply educating drivers of all ages won’t be enough. A study conducted by several Iranian health researchers entitled Is driver education contributing towards road safety? a systematic review of systematic reviews (Journal of injury & violence research vol. 13,1 (2021) goes over their research into articles and data regarding the efficiency of driver education worldwide. Interestingly, it states “all ages led to improvements in secondary outcomes, such as performance, self-perceived driving abilities, behind-the-wheel driving performance, and even a small decrease in traffic offenses.”. It noted afterwards that even with these readings, “education was not effective in reducing crashes or injuries, either at the individual or community level.” (Journal of injury & violence research vol. 13,1 (2021).

The thesis had various examples of studies from countries like Canada, USA, and the UK examining this core idea. The Canadian study focused upon older drivers, finding that yes, training interventions in older drivers uphold driving skills but does not reduce crashers. The USA study focused on teen-drivers with their outcomes seeing no convincing factor in driving education preventing car crashes. Finally, the UK study focused on all ages with finding no evidence that a “post-license training is effective in reducing road crashes” (Journal of injury & violence research vol. 13,1 (2021). I share this information to not sway the importance of driving education – it’s extremely important but I believe information like this should help us as a community investigate other ways we can promote safety.

I have seen family members and friends of all ages engage in distracted driving and get into car accidents due to these factors. After which the fact, they have kept engaging in those habits of looking at their phones or being unaware of the road. I personally have not engaged in these behaviors – specifically I had taken my time getting my driver’s license. I had got my learners in 2019 and got my car in 2020. I had failed in my attempts at getting my driving license several times. This is not because of distracted driving – some of it was due to my anxiety, attention-span, and more importantly, nervousness. Recently I got my license but the factor that contributed to my success was one thing; experience. As a young adult, my experience of driving changed a lot. By my second/third attempt, I could drive fairly well. But by my fourth attempt I learned that I still have anxiousness driving. I was worried about everything that could go wrong even though I knew and studied everything I could about the road. I understood every topic, every turn signal, when to stop and not stop, I still had nerve. What changed it was I kept driving over and over. Driving with various family members, driving to various places, gaining a better understanding of the road with comfortable ease. By my fifth attempt I had passed with no issues.

So, ultimately, what steps can be taken to reduce the deaths in driving? There are a few things. One, experience. More understanding of being on the road goes a long way for younger drivers to be comfortable. Two, countering distractions. Distracted driving is a habit that is hard to put down but must be. Perhaps fining the behavior could work but who knows how effective it would be. Better yet, sharing more information on the harm it brings. It’s a behavior that ultimately requires whoever is driving to put the phone down or look away from the built-in screen. Third, education. Education is important! It’s how everyone learns and absorbs important information. Especially on the road – the more younger, middle aged, and older drivers can learn of the road makes a difference. But it shouldn’t soley be just education to counter accidents/car deaths. This is what I think we can do. I don’t see myself as the right person with the right answers, but someone who wants to promote a difference as a driver.

Works Cited

“Safe Driving .” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 15 July 2022,

Akbari, Maryam et al. “Is driver education contributing towards road safety? a systematic review of systematic reviews.” Journal of injury & violence research vol. 13,1 (2021): 69-80. doi:10.5249/jivr.v13i1.1592